When Robitaille attacks

GOP AG candidate Erik Wallin was the most animated on-stage presence during the Republican convention at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet last night, but endorsed gubernatorial candidate John Robitaille came in a close second. Most notably, Robitaille engaged in a spirited round of attacks after claiming the endorsement. Here’s a rundown on his targets and some of his rhetoric:

— Legislative Democrats are inept and trying to steal the conservative message: “We have political opponents who are well-organized, well-funded, and deeply entrenched. They have held the power, called the shots, and built an expensive government bureaucracy on the backs of small businesses, retirees, and hardworking people . . . . They have killed the economy, and now they want to come to our rescue!”

— Frank Caprio is part of the problem: “Democrat Frank Caprio is trying with all his might to sound like a conservative . . . . Frank Caprio says it’s all about small business. Mr. Caprio, you never have run a small business. You have no idea what it’s like to be a small business owner. I do . . . .  Mr. Caprio, you can talk like a conservative, but you’re really just another legacy politician, pandering for votes.”

— Republicans are good stewards: “Now it’s our turn, and we won’t need 70 years to turn the state around. Just give us the next four years*, and we’ll begin the greatest transformation this state has ever known. We will unite Rhode Island and bring fairness back to all people. We, the Republicans, are going to clean up the mess the Democrats made because the voters are going to hold them accountable in November.”

— Lincoln Chafee is traitorous and untrustworthy: “Mr. Chafee, Rhode Island doesn’t need more taxes, and we certainly don’t need a legacy politician who has abandoned our nation’s founding principles. Linc has moved so far to the left he now appeals to the progressives who’ve been abandoned by Caprio and [Patrick] Lynch. Linc is their hero! Good luck with that, I say — he’s all yours!”

*Robitaille didn’t mention how Republicans, with the exception of Bruce Sundlun’s two terms in the early ’90s, have held the governor’s office for most of the last quarter-century. Or how he until recently worked for Governor Carcieri.

As a first time candidate in 2002, Carcieri succeeded largely by running against the General Assembly (it didn’t hurt to have deep pockets, either). Will the same thing (minus the deep pockets) work in 2010? Stay tuned.